Karasu Shirai
Karasu Shirai (白井 鴉, Shirai Karasu) is the 11th seat of the Second Division and a member of the Onmitsukidou (Stealth Force in the English Dub), specifically in the Punishment Force. She is secretly aligned with Sōsuke Aizen. Appearance Karasu is slightly above average height with a toned build, boasting a slim, agile body rather than an overly curvy, attractive one. Her skin is slightly tanned and her eyes are bottle green and stern. Her hair is chestnut brown, straight, thick and touches her shoulders. It is split on the left, and she has bangs swept to her right to appear like a fringe on the right side of her head. Any bangs on the left side of her head are swept behind her ear to expose a silver, icicle-shaped earring. During Second Division duties, she wears the shinigami shihakushou with no modifications, save for two black sleeves on her wrists. During duties as a member of the Punishment Force of the Onmitsukidō, she wears the standard black outfit, all of her hair being held under a bandana except for some of her bangs. At the time she joined with Sōsuke Aizen nearly 200 years ago, she visually resembled a late-teenager, her hair more scruffy and cut short to her jawline. Not yet a member of the Second Division, she only wore the Punishment Force uniform with her hair similarly hidden under a bandana during missions. Personality Karasu is a sharp and snarky yet collected and skeptical individual. She's self-confident, speaks her mind and isn't bothered by what people think of her, but is socially distant, sometimes rude and lacks a certain sensitivity, which can cause her to be scolded when it shows. At first glance, she has an eloquent demeanor, but it's quickly snuffed out by her forward and brutally honest nature. Some consider her uptight and arrogant in a way that's on par with her captain Soi Fon. Karasu is very observant and suspicious of others, having a knack for knowing when something, or someone, is amiss. When she first encountered Sōsuke Aizen face to face, she quoted to him that he "reeked of something more than a mere lieutenant". Behind much of her repulsive nature, she cares for many of her comrades deep down and distances herself out of fear of making friends and then someday losing them. She's also wise beyond her years and always sticks up for her new and/or struggling peers. In one particular show of wisdom, she talks about how it's bad to fight, but is usually caught out by anyone who knows that she actually loves fighting. At heart, she has always been a dishonest person and a "dirty player", something she is begrudgingly aware of - she makes no attempt to uphold honour in battle and won't hesitate to use dirty tactics if it means winning. She also harbours a long-held sourness towards shinigami despite being one herself, and admits to herself that she never felt entirely loyal to the Gotei 13 and was only a shinigami for her own ends. History Karasu remembers little to nothing of her past life, only knowing that it was rough and feeling that it's better forgotten. Rukongai When she died in the living world as a late teen, Karasu was sent to the poverty-ridden 76th Rukongai district Sakahone, not remembering her name except for her last name, "Shirai". She quickly adapted to thievery, shocked at the weird lack of food and constantly starving. Driven to desperation, she encountered a large group around a campfire in a forest hoarding food and attempted to steal from them, only to be swiftly apprehended. The group was a thieving gang that forcefully governed the district, called the "Dogs of Sakahone", and consisted of gifted members of the district who banded together. Noticing that Karasu had high reiatsu and fighting skill, they offered for her to join, and she accepted knowing she would die otherwise. When asked for her name, Karasu said she didn't remember it. Hence, she was named "Karasu" by the relatively sympathetic group leader, a woman named Hagetaka, who commented that she was also once given the name of a bird of the Rukongai (Karasu means crow/raven, Hagetaka means vulture). Karasu was a member of the group for decades, growing to be one of Hagetaka's right hands and closest friends. The Dogs suffered from sporadic attacks by shinigami, mainly wild, battle-hungry eleventh division members dispatched after a report of the Dogs causing trouble, but the group was strong and would often manage to get away with their group count intact. Hagetaka became fed up with the attacks and searched for a solution that wouldn't compromise the group. Karasu suggested she become a shinigami and get within their system so she could warn them. However, she withheld the fact that she had desired to become a shinigami for some time to become her own person, and she desired more outside the gang-like group. With reluctance, Hagetaka let Karasu go, on the condition that she also visit and bring gifts. Academy and Graduation: After one failed attempt, Karasu was enrolled in the academy, learning quickly and being placed in the special advanced class after a year. However, halfway through her schooling, she received news that the infamous Dogs of Sakahone had all been slaughtered. Dismayed, she raced to the district the first chance she got, finding the bloodbath of its dozens of members. According to the report, the Dogs had been planning to invade the Seireitei, and since they were a strong, trouble-making thief group in one of the farthest slums of Rukongai, a dispatched group of shinigami were able to kill them all without repercussions. Karasu knew the group wouldn't do that, and she was proven right. A male member of the group, Takerou, was barely alive and informed her that a "tall, shady shinigami with brown hair and black glasses" had approached the group a few days earlier, demanding they either work for him or relinquish their hold on the district. They easily declined, to which the man suspiciously advised they stop their liberation of the district before "something bad happens". They still declined, after which the man somewhat quietly left. After he told her of this, Takerou then told Karasu to go to Hagetaka's body - on Hagetaka's left ear was a white, icicle shaped earring that had been passed down as an unspoken symbol of the group's leader, and the bereft Hagetaka had hoped that one day Karasu would own it. After Karasu did as he told, with a promise that she would wear it, Takerou suddenly pulled out a knife. He commented that he knew Karasu would come back and that it made him happy because he was in great pain waiting for her. After declaring "the great Dogs of Sakahone" dead, he slit his own throat and killed himself. Afterwards, Karasu buried all of their bodies in one big grave, solemnly apologizing to them for trying to leave them behind and admitting that they were more of a family than she realized. She then promised that she would find the shinigami that led to their deaths, even if it lead to her own. From then on, Karasu was so invested in her studies and growing stronger that she graduated a year early and was placed into the Punishment Force of the Onmitsukidou due to her intelligence and skill in close-combat. Though she wasn't eager to be tied to another group, she took advantage of the group's secrecy of its members in case the man who approached the Dogs knew about and was looking for her. Without much searching, she discovered a man who easily fit the description of the group's possible killer: Sōsuke Aizen, the fifth division lieutenant at the time. She spied on him as much as she could away from the watchful eyes of the Onmitsukidō, noting that, despite his normally friendly and scholarly demeanor, he was definitely amiss when no-one was watching. (MORE TO BE ADDED) Powers and Abilities Shunpo Expert Karasu prides herself on her speed, and it's the core of her Zanpakutou's abilities. Though not nearly on par with Shunpo Masters such as Soi Fon or Yoruichi Shihōin, she can prove difficult to keep up with. She most often uses her speed to evade and deal swift and precise strikes, having used such techiniques to take down grown men bigger than her. Along with her Hakuda skills, her speed is valued and further honed as a member of the Onmitsukidō. Hakuda Expert Karasu has formiddable hand-to-hand combat skills, able to fight with her bare hands and feet, as well as knives, daggers and other short-range weapons. Her preferred style of fighting resembles street-fighting, and she herself admits to being "an elegant fighter of unelegant tactics" much of the time. High Endurance Her physical and mental endurance are stronger than they appear, allowing her to take a considerable beating and withstand pain for longer. High Intelligence Along with her speed, Karasu prides herself on her intelligence, especially her strategy and quick thinking. In the past, she used strategically placed blows to take down even grown men much larger than her. Zanpakutō Shokuren (織蓮 weaving lotus]: Its sealed form resembles a wakizashi with a white woven hilt and gold handguard. Like most other shinigami, she carries it by her waist in its sheath. Shikai: It is triggered by the command "Drip" (滴れ shitatare). Upon doing so, the blade glows white and transforms, another blade emerging on the other end of the hilt and both growing longer. When the glow disappears, the wakizashi has become a double-ended sword one-and-a-half times her height. : Shikai special ability: Shokuren's special ability is to be able to cut through air at high speeds using reiatsu in the blade to reduce friction in the air drastically, as well as being incredibly light. The speed grows with Karasu's body strength and skill, and currently sits at half the speed of sound. When spun, the fast motion leaves a mirage of the blades resembling that of a lotus. Her overall movement speed, including Shunpo, it also increased, allowing her to move extremely quickly. *Kaben-shin'' ''[花弁針 petal needle]: The reiatsu in the blade drastically increases and the blade becomes briefly sharper, though Karasu most commonly uses this technique in bursts of a few seconds as she is bringing her blade down to cut her opponent due to its strain. Bankai: Suigai Shōkyūren [水慨咲朽蓮 water's lament, blooming and rotting lotus] (WIP) Weaknesses Zanpakutō: Good Defence: Opponents with a good defence and keen sense of reiatsu can prove more difficult against Karasu's fast attacks. '''Strain: '''Shokuren's shikai technique "Kaben-shin" is a particular strain on her reiatsu. Three uses causes visible fatigue and drop in performance, and by its fifth use, she would immediately pass out. Trivia *During her early Rukongai days, Karasu was right-handed. However, she was trained out of it in order to "trust her other hand just as much in battle", becoming ambidextrous. If she dual-wielded in her current state, she would similiarly show Kyouraku's drawback of one hand being slightly more adept than the other, albeit a little more obvious. *Each year, when new students enroll at the shinigami academy, souls hailing from anywhere between districts 70 and 80 of the Rukongai must attend a side-course held by Karasu, amongst similiar others, designed to assist the unstable, sometimes animal-like shinigami that come from such run-down districts. She teaches them things like basic manners, rules, fighting restraint and other concepts of the more civil and privileged lifestyle of a shinigami. The course's purpose is also to filter "dangerous elements" that need to be sent to the Maggot's Nest with those that want a new start. *Karasu loathes extravagant things, especially buildings. When she first set sights on the academy building not long after she left the Rukongai. She felt sick having not remotely seen such grandeur and, as someone from a slum, immediately saw it as wasteful and a gross contrast. *She enjoys rough sports and sparring with others. Quotes *